- 
      - ** Home
      - ** About Us
      - ** Archives
      - ** Events
      - ** Publications

### Contact Us

To provide feedback on the Community Policing Dispatch, e-mail the editorial board at CPDispatch@usdoj.gov.

To obtain details on COPS Office programs, publications, and resources, contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov

**U.S. Department of Justice**        Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
www.cops.usdoj.gov

            - Home
            - About Us
            - Archives
            - Events
            - Publications
            - Contact Us

### **Protecting Kids When Schools are Closed**

August 2020 | Volume 13 | Issue 8

According to the Rape, Assault & Incest National Network (RAINN), child abuse reports have  decreased during the COVID 19 shutdown. Though this sounds like good news, many  experts believe it is misleading and that more children are actually being  harmed. 

 RAINN President Scott Berkowitz attributes the decrease in  reports to the fact that abused kids are quarantined at home with their perpetrators,  who are usually family members, and are cut off from their safety net―the  teachers, School Resources Officers (SROs), coaches, and neighbors who are most  likely to notice and report suspected abuse. 

 In Texas, Renette B. Todd, a criminal investigator with the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, has noticed an increase in domestic violence calls  and a simultaneous decline in child abuse reports. Realizing that these crimes  often go hand in hand, her department automatically investigates for abuse if  there is a child in the house.  

 Many departments are taking similar precautions, while others  have found new ways to detect problems and protect students during the COVID 19  shutdown, methods which can be replicated during the summer school vacation,  holidays, natural disasters, and other events that result in school closure.

#####  SROs Help Give  Laptops, Lunch, and Support

In California, the Redlands Police Department (RPD) has expanded its relationship with local schools through its School Resource Officers  who have maintained contact during the shutdown by assisting in the delivery of  Chromebook laptops to families whose children do not have computers that are necessary for distance learning programs. 

 In the process, they actively engaged with both students and  parents to determine how they are coping and uncover any issues that deserve a  response. If there appears to be serious problems, SROs make home welfare  checks.  

 Says former RPD Police Chief Rod Torres, who is now Safety  Manager for the Redlands Unified School  District (RUSD), “Our SROs are more proactive now that students aren’t on  campus and incidents can’t be mitigated by school staff.”

 In the Bradenton (Florida)  Police Department (BPD), SROs maintain contact by helping with the  distribution of free lunches to children who attend schools the officers are  normally assigned to. While doing so, they make a point of asking how the  children are doing and letting them know they are available if the kids need  help. 

 Some of the SROs also connected with students at the free Wi-Fi  hotspots set up for those who lack Internet access to online learning platforms,  and drove the buses that contained mobile hotspots.

 Said Paul McWade, Assistant Chief of Police in the BPD’s  Operations Division, “Our SROs know their kids very well. They know which have  been victims of abuse, sexual assault or mental health issues in the past, and  reach out to them by phone or home visit to be sure there are no concerns.” 

#####  Online Monitors Catch  Predators and Mental Health Crises

 The BPD also employed monitors to view student interactions  with teachers in their virtual classrooms. When reports of suspected abuse are  made, SROs follow up. If it is determined that a child has actually suffered  from any kind of trauma, the officer sends a Handle with Care report to a  school official and the Watch Commander on duty.

 Teachers often spot trouble themselves by looking for signs  of distress, such as students who refuse to show themselves on camera, always  look unhappy, or withdraw from participation. In the RUSD, they have additional  help from Gaggle, an online safety platform  hired by the district to monitor the use of the school-distributed Chromebooks.   

 Though Gaggle mostly looks for indications of problems such  as bullying in documents, emails, and web sites on student laptops, their monitors  also catch problematic messages on cell phones charging on the Chromebooks’ USB  ports.

 When there are suspicions of abuse or other concerns, Gaggle  sends an alert to the safety team managed by Torres, which passes it on to a school  guidance counselor who will make a phone call and, if necessary, contact the  RPD.  

 An example of how Gaggle operates is the 2019 case of a  predator who attempted to send pornography to a sixth grader in another school.  The monitors intercepted the file and sent it to the local police department,  which arrested an adult who was preying on other children as well.

#####  Self-reporting Through  Safe2Tell

But even when teachers, counselors, or SROs engage with  children in person or on the phone, they may not get much information if the  abuser is nearby. In Colorado, young people can safely call in problems through  an online app or by texting to Safe2Tell, an anonymous tip line funded by the Colorado Department of Law for the state’s  public schools.

 Created as a threat assessment process for both prevention  and intervention by former SRO Susan Payne shortly after the Columbine High  School shooting in 1999, Safe2Tell provides  a protected and easily accessed method for kids to share information about their safety  or the safety of others with teachers and law enforcement. 

 Safe2Tell relies on key relationships with local law enforcement  agencies, School Resource Officers and emergency responders to respond to  critical, life-saving tips. Through education and training, it shows administrators,  teachers and SROs how to recognize the early indicators of violence, self-harm  and other problems, assess the root causes, and develop strategies for  intervention.

 Effective, timely response is enabled by the creation of a multi-disciplinary  approach based on collaboration among school staff, SROs, local law  enforcement, and first responders, as well as by a systematic framework for accountability  and follow-up. 

 But most important to the program’s success is the students’ trust and  a positive working relationship among team members. “Enabling children to speak  up empowers them and allows them to become part of the solution,” Payne says.  “Together, we can provide more hope, help, and safety.” 

 Noting that the most frequent calls to Safe2Tell have been related to  potential suicides, she adds that it can also be very effective in addressing child  abuse in the home. “We must work together to provide support for dealing with  social stressors to prevent problems as well as a safe way for young people or  others in the community to report them.” 

#####  Partnerships and  Birthday Drive-bys Build Trust

Travis Martinez, the RPD’s Deputy Chief of Police, agrees  with this approach. “The most effective way to protect our children is through partnerships  between schools and local law enforcement. By enhancing and reinforcing these  relationships, we can proactively address child abuse, mental health crises,  and other problems.”

 But all agree that relationships with the children  themselves, starting at an early age, are key to the solution. They need to know  that the officers are on their side. To that end, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office  has been building positive relations with quarantined children through drive-by  birthday greetings. 

 With lights blazing and sirens blaring, the deputies lead a  parade of honking vehicles past the birthday child’s home. Says Detective Todd,  “We love it, the families it, the kids love it. And it creates a good memory that will last a long time.”   

 Faye C. Elkins          Sr. Technical Writer

**For more information, please see:****Child  Abuse and Neglect in the Home****Combating  Child Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders****Bullying  in Schools****Using  School COP: A Guide for School Administrators and Safety Personnel****Law Enforcement Response to Child Abuse:  Portable Guide to Investigating Child Abuse******

Tweet

**Subscribe to Email Updates**
To sign up for monthly updates or to access your subscriber preferences, please enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

**Explore**
            - Home
            - About Us
            - Archives
            - Events
            - Publications
            - Contact Us

**
Connect With Us 
**
Want to stay connected with the COPS office?             Follow us on social media!
            - 
            - 
            - 
- 
- 
- 

             FOIA 

             No FEAR Act 

             Open Government 

             Plain Writing 

             USA.gov 

             Legal Policies and Disclaimers 

             Language Access Plan 

             DOJ Privacy Policy